The Seacoast family guide

Portsmouth's signature waterfront park on the Piscataqua, with a 10-acre layout of formal flower gardens, fountains, and demonstration beds maintained by the city. From late June t…

A tiny grass-and-granite island park just off Peirce Island, connected by a footbridge and stocked with picnic tables, grills, and a small reservable pavilion. Knockout views of Me…

A 27-acre island park in the South End with walking paths, a seasonal outdoor pool, a small playground, a public boat launch, and an off-leash dog area on the far end. Locals come …

Thirty-two acres of seaside lawn, beach, and picnic grounds on the New Castle side of the harbor, with sweeping views to Whaleback Light, Wood Island, and Fort Constitution. A quic…

330 acres of rocky shoreline, salt marsh, woodland trails, and WWII-era bunkers in Rye, a ten-minute drive south of Portsmouth. Home to the Seacoast Science Center, with touch tank…

The city's main in-town rec hub behind City Hall — playground, fenced dog park, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts wrapped around a tidal pond. Walking distance from downtow…

A 10-acre living history neighborhood in the heart of downtown, with 37 restored buildings spanning 300+ years of Portsmouth life. Costumed role-players, working gardens, and hands…

New England's largest waterpark, just south of downtown on Route 1. Eighteen attractions including the Adventure River lazy river, a giant wave pool, body slides, and a kid-scaled …

Outdoor ice skating inside Strawbery Banke from late November through February, with a Zamboni-maintained surface, rentals, lessons, and pick-up pond hockey. The lit historic neigh…

A 10-week summer season of outdoor concerts, musical theater, kids' shows, and Friday-night movies on the Piscataqua waterfront. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and pay what you wa…

Bright, modern library with a dedicated youth wing and a packed weekly schedule — drop-in storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, Lego Club, Middle School Mondays, and f…

Two floors of hands-on exhibits — a kid-scale dinosaur dig, a giant submarine, a music studio, and a yellow submarine climbing structure. Technically in Dover, but a 20-minute driv…

A sandy beach inside Fort Foster Park with calm swimming areas, tidal pools for exploring, and dramatic rocky outcrops. Popular with families in summer.

Part of the 50-mile coastal Maine refuge system. The Cutts Island Trail near Kittery offers an easy 1-mile hike through forests, salt marshes, and wetlands — exceptional for birdwa…

A beautiful, less-crowded beach at the end of Seapoint Road in Kittery Point. Soft sand, gentle surf, and gorgeous sunset views. Dogs allowed October through March.

At low tide, Fort Foster's rocky shore reveals pools teeming with sea stars, crabs, snails, and anemones. Bring water shoes and a bucket — kids love it.

A well-maintained playground and recreation area with sports courts, open fields, and a covered pavilion. Great for a quick run-around.

Family-friendly guided bike and walking tours exploring Kittery and the Seacoast. Self-guided options available too — perfect for an active family outing.

The quarter-mile beach at York Beach village, framed by the Ellis Park bandstand on one end and the Cape Neddick coastline on the other. Walkable to the arcade, taffy shops, and pi…

Nearly two miles of open Atlantic beach running along Long Beach Avenue, with paid metered parking right at the seawall and the Nubble Light visible at the far end. Lifeguards are …

A small crescent-shaped cove locals call "Mother's Beach" for its calm, protected water — the best spot in York for little kids to wade. Lifeguards in summer, restrooms and an outd…

A small, rocky beach near the Nubble with dramatic outcrops and tide pools at low tide. Surfers like the wave conditions; families come for the periwinkles, hermit crabs, and tiny …

Locally known as "Big A" — a 692-foot monadnock with the best long-distance views on the Maine Seacoast. The new universal-access summit loop is a flat 1-mile circle suitable for a…

A 1.4-mile loop through a forested peninsula owned by the Old York Historical Society, accessed via the Wiggly Bridge — a 1936 miniature suspension bridge often called the smallest…

The anchor of York Beach family days for more than six decades — a combination zoo and amusement park with a butterfly garden, kid rides, paddle boats, an animal-themed mini-golf c…

A 10,000-square-foot vintage arcade in a century-old wooden pavilion that opens straight onto Short Sands Beach. Skee-Ball, pinball, more than 250 games, most classics still 25 cen…

Free Sunday-night and weekday concerts at the oceanfront gazebo right beside Short Sands Beach, running all summer with everything from big bands to jazz and rock. Bring a blanket …

Watch the saltwater taffy machines pull Goldenrod Kisses through the front window — a York Beach tradition since 1896. Old-school soda fountain, homemade ice cream, and a full menu…

The free oceanfront park directly across from Cape Neddick Light ("the Nubble") — the most photographed lighthouse in New England. A small welcome center, picnic spots on the rocks…

The Seacoast's surf anchor — a long, sandy state beach with the most consistent waves in New Hampshire and a tight-knit local surf crew you'll see in the lineup year-round. Bathhou…

Wide, flat, and sandy — the easiest family beach on the Rye coast. A 500-car pay lot, a real bathhouse with outdoor rinse stations, a small store for snacks and drinks, and a grass…

The crown jewel of the Rye coast — 330 acres of rocky shoreline, salt marsh, woodland trails, and WWII-era bunkers wrapped around a working marine science center. Tide pools the ki…

A small, locals-leaning stretch of sand just north of Jenness, tucked behind the Rye Rocks outcrops. Donated to the town by the Sawyer family in 1952 and quieter than the state bea…

The only one of fourteen WWII coastal observation towers along the New Hampshire coast still standing — a 73-foot concrete tower with 12-inch-thick walls, built in 1943 to spot ene…

A small town beach off Cable Road with rocky outcrops at low tide, calmer surf than Jenness, and a tight little parking lot reserved for Rye residents and property owners May throu…

Set inside Odiorne Point State Park, this is the best rainy-day stop on the Seacoast and a great sunny one too. Touch tanks with sea stars and hermit crabs, a 1,000-gallon Gulf of …

At low tide, the rocky shore at Odiorne opens up into pools full of crabs, snails, periwinkles, and sea stars — bring water shoes and a bucket and you'll lose the kids for an hour.…

The easiest family beach day on the Rye coast — wide flat sand, gentler surf than Jenness, lifeguards in season, and a real bathhouse with outdoor rinse stations so you're not driv…

More than a library — it's a weekday-morning lifeline for Rye families with little ones. Story Time on Fridays and the first Saturday of the month, Playtime Party on Mondays, Senso…

The heart of summer in Exeter. A long ribbon of green along the Squamscott River with a one-way scenic drive, picnic spots, and a bandstand that hosts free Wednesday-night concerts…

A small, beautifully kept strip park along the Squamscott right next to the Exeter Public Library, created in 1988 for the town's 350th anniversary. Two flat paved paths, a sculpte…

Tucked off Water Street where the Little River meets the Exeter River, with picnic areas, open lawn, and a wooded trail that follows the river back through the trees. Named for the…

220 acres of conservation land just west of downtown, managed by the Exeter Conservation Commission. A well-marked color-coded loop system (Red, Green, Yellow) covers everything fr…

PEA's 836-acre woodland is open to the public — over 7 miles of designated trails for walking, running, biking, and cross-country skiing. The Red Trail is the popular 3-mile easy l…

Just over the line in neighboring Stratham, ten minutes from downtown Exeter. Six miles of trails, sports fields, a playground, and a decommissioned fire tower you can climb for sw…

One of the most active children's calendars in the Seacoast. All-ages storytime runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 AM, with a 3+ storytime on Wednesdays. Drop-in Open Art every Frid…

Free Wednesday-night band concerts on the parkway bandstand from late June through mid-August, 6-8 PM. Pack a blanket and a picnic, let the kids run on the lawn, and stay for the s…

Tucked into the historic Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern downtown, this is where one of the country's original Dunlap broadsides of the Declaration is kept. Kids' programming i…

Exeter's biggest day of the year, every mid-July. Revolutionary War reenactors march through downtown, vendors and music fill the streets, and the night closes with a concert and f…

An October Saturday on Swasey Parkway packed with craft brewers, chili cook-offs, live music, and artisan vendors. The adults sample beer flights while the kids hit the food trucks…

Ten minutes from downtown Exeter in neighboring Stratham. The playground, picnic pavilion, and open fields anchor the main lot; the easy five-minute walk to the decommissioned fire…

The anchor of the Seacoast summer — a state-run stretch of soft white sand at the south end of the beach with lifeguards, a bathhouse, an RV campground tucked behind grassy dunes, …

A quieter Route 1A stretch just north of the Hampton strip with a bathhouse and metered parking — same Atlantic surf, a fraction of the crowd. Locals come here when they want a rea…

A hidden residential beach about 2.3 miles north of Hampton Beach, tucked down Ancient Highway. Rocky cliffs, calm tidal pools, and almost no commercial anything — most days it's j…

An oceanfront town park on Ocean Boulevard with a seawall walk, a sand volleyball court, pickleball, a playground, and a bathhouse. The locals' alternative to fighting for a spot o…

The working pier at the south end of the strip — home to the deep-sea fishing fleet, but also a free public spot to walk out over the harbor and watch the boats come in. Best at su…

The 1.35-mile paved promenade lining Ocean Boulevard — arcades, fried dough stands, surf shops, candy counters, and pizza windows packed shoulder to shoulder. NBC named it one of A…

Three days every June (this year June 18–20, 2026) when world-class sculptors compete for a $25,000 purse right on the sand between B and C Streets. The finished pieces stay lit up…

Three floors of arcade chaos right on Ocean Boulevard — skee-ball, redemption games, a wall of classic pinball, and a ticket counter that smells exactly the way an arcade should. A…

The other heavyweight on the strip — a massive selection of pinball, redemption games, slot games, and skee-ball. Open late into the night all summer, this is where the boardwalk c…

Up on the second floor of the Hampton Beach Casino — 18 holes of indoor mini golf plus slot car racing, ping pong, foosball, and sand art. A guaranteed save for an overcast afterno…

Every night from late June through Labor Day, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., free live music on the oceanfront band shell — tribute bands, country nights with line-dance lessons at 6, classi…

Dover's riverfront anchor — playground, splash pad, climbable granite alewife sculpture, three-story Garrison-style play tower, and an open lawn used for Apple Harvest Day, summer …

Climb the 76-foot tower on top of 298-foot Garrison Hill and you can see the White Mountains to the north and the Isles of Shoals to the east on a clear day. The hilltop park has p…

A state park straddling Route 4 at Dover Point, where the Piscataqua opens into Little Bay. Walkways, a gazebo, picnic tables, a playground on the south side, and big water views f…

Four hundred acres of riverside woodland, tidal creeks, and salt marsh on the west bank of the Bellamy. The flat 2.5-mile out-and-back trail winds through tall pines and oaks with …

A neighborhood park on the south side of town with a baseball diamond, basketball court, playground, and shaded picnic spots. The kind of low-key, locals-only park that doesn't sho…

NH Audubon's quieter sister to the state WMA, with marked trails through mixed hardwood forest down to the Bellamy. Excellent spring migration birding and almost always empty — bri…

Two floors of hands-on exhibits — a kid-scale dinosaur dig, a yellow submarine climbing structure, a music studio, an art lab, and rotating STEAM installations. It's the premier ki…

Dover's signature fall festival, held the first Saturday in October since 1985. Three hundred vendors, two entertainment stages, two food courts, and kids' programming in Henry Law…

The downtown playground next to the Children's Museum — a three-story Garrison-style play tower, a giant climbable granite alewife sculpture, swings, slides, musical instruments, a…

The city's year-round indoor rink, with public skating sessions, learn-to-skate programs, stick-and-puck, and adult hockey leagues. A reliable rainy-day or snow-day stop for famili…

The 76-foot tower on Garrison Hill is a kid magnet — short hike up the paved path, then a stair climb to a wraparound view of the Seacoast, the White Mountains, and the Isles of Sh…

The playground on the south side of Hilton Park at Dover Point — shaded picnic tables, a paved walkway out toward Little Bay, and the pedestrian-only General Sullivan Bridge a shor…

The town's crown jewel — over six miles of trails, basketball courts, playgrounds, picnic areas, a seasonal ice rink, and the iconic 53-foot steel observation tower built in 1931. …

85 quiet acres tucked behind the school and Stratham Hill Park, with trails like Tote Road, Kitty Rock, and Lincoln winding through stonewall-lined woods, meadows, and ponds. Dog w…

The 1931 steel fire tower at the top of Stratham Hill is open year-round — a short climb up the Eagle Trail (partially wheelchair-accessible) gets you to the base. Sunrise from the…

The whole town basically meets here. Playgrounds, basketball courts, sledding hills in winter, a seasonal ice rink, and trails kids can actually handle on their own two feet. Pack …

The town's signature summer event, held the third Saturday of July at Stratham Hill Park. 4-H projects, livestock judging, an antique tractor show, the pie contest, and the Stratha…

America's oldest family-owned farm (since 1655) sits just over the Stratham line in Durham — pick-your-own blueberries in summer, the famous fall pumpkin patch and hay rides, plus …

Way more than a quiet stacks-and-shushing library. Preschool and science story times, the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, STEM activities, and teen events keep the kid cale…

The Stratham outlet isn't a factory tour, but the pick-and-mix wall of LINDOR truffles, the seasonal European specialties, and the chocolate coffee drinks make it a sweet 20-minute…

A 32-acre sanctuary tucked directly across the river from downtown with a 1.2-mile loop trail of boardwalk and packed dirt. Views of the old Newmarket Mills, the harbor, and the La…

Downtown Newmarket's riverfront pocket park on the tidal Lamprey — a half-acre of grass, benches, and a Native-design fish weir with full views of the historic mills and the boats …

When the old textile mills were converted in 2010–2012, the developers carved out a riverside courtyard and small sculpture garden at the convergence of the fresh and tidal Lamprey…

A 2.5-acre conservation parcel on the Lamprey just outside downtown, with a ¼-mile loop trail under tall pine and hemlock leading to an overlook where the Piscassic and Lamprey mee…

A smaller town conservation park along the Lamprey with a public canoe and kayak launch — named for Chris Schoppmeyer, the longtime conservation commission member who ran the annua…

A free public splash pad at the Newmarket Rec Complex with eight above-ground water features and nine ground sprayers, plus a toddler-friendly side with gentle flower-shaped sprays…

Miss Heather runs storytime in the Children's Library play space on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:30am. Free stories, crafts, and a welcoming space for the under-5 crowd…

Downtown's pocket park on the Lamprey — small enough that little kids can run it end-to-end, with a kayak launch, a fish weir to peek at, and Tuesday-night summer concerts that dra…

Rent kayaks or a SUP through the Newmarket Rec Department or Seven Rivers Paddling and float the tidal Lamprey from Schanda Park. The current is slow, the scenery is mill-town stor…

Newmarket Rec's summer day camp for kids ages 5–12, running out of the Rec Complex with full access to Aqua Land, the playground, fields, and weekly themes. The town's go-to summer…